Nunnally's Requiem
by nanoman79
Summary: After Schniezel's victory over Lelouch, Nunnally makes a choice which will change everything.


Disclaimer I don't own Code geass or its characters.

It was over Schniezel had defeated Lelouch in the final battle. However things were not perfect because Schniezel also imprisoned most of the Black Knight leaders. Now they all await their execution. Schniezel called it bringing peace to the world by getting rid of the cause of all the war and death. Unlike what Lelouch would have planned, the event would be take place secretly after Nunnally's coronation. Schniezel continued with his plan to make Nunnally empress of Britannia. At the moment they were at the ceremony. Lelouch and the others were in a prison just outside the city. In the time between the battle and now a new capital was built to house Nunnally's court. Schniezel and his group were having meetings with leaders from around the world. The threat of Damocles and FLEIA loomed above. Schniezel was forced to bring the Damocles down to reload it with FLEIA missiles since so many were used.

Nunnally sat there looking up at the others speak about her. She began to think of the events of the past month. At first she met with her brother and Suzaku. Both refused to talk to her, but they did not deny her visit and touch. With the Black Knights also imprisoned, Nunnally's idea of turning the Damocles into a symbol of hatred fell apart since there is no one to go against Schniezel. As she sat there listening to others speak on her behalf she thought about her other meetings during the months. She had them bring Cornelia to the new capital. Guilford came a few days later. Their first few meetings were testy, but soon the sisters came to an agreement. It wasn't easy for them to accept their fate, but they understand that it is the only way to assure that Euphie's dream to comes true.

After Nunnally visited her for a week, Cornelia listened to what her younger sister has to say. It takes Cornelia a few days to accept Nunnally's plan. A few secret meetings between Jeremiah and Guilford settled things. It seemed as if Lelouch was going to attempt something similar. Schniezel's victory ended that thought. Jeremiah and a few others that supported Lelouch managed to escape. Jeremiah can attempt to rescue Lelouch at any time. However there is nowhere for them to go. His reign and attack on the UFN forces destroyed whatever credibility that Lelouch could have had. Now Cornelia and Guilford on their way to complete their last mission. Jeremiah and his people assisted them in the first stage. Now they were on their own. If Jeremiah chose to save Lelouch and the Black Knights from sharing the same fate, that was his problem.

Now Schniezel droned on about how Nunnally was different than the others. Nunnally looked around. She found it interesting that no one questioned the fact that her eyes were now open. It was during a clandestine meeting with Jeremiah that Nunnally's eyes were open for the first time in seven years. She told her brother's most loyal subordinate her plan. At first he tried to dissuade her, but decided to follow along. After her eyes were opened, Nunnally visited Lelouch one last time. They sat there staring at each other for a few minutes before Nunnally left.

Now Schniezel began to speak about Lelouch. Perhaps sensing Nunnally's uneasiness, Cornelia sent Nunnally a message that everything was ready. Nunnally did something very out of character for her. For the first time in her life Nunnally vi Britannia/Lamperouge lost her temper. She had in the past thrown fits but nothing like what she was about to do and say.

"Shut the fuck up you effeminate psychopath."

Schniezel froze in the middle of his speech. He hoped that it wouldn't have come to this. He didn't expect Nunnally to rebel so soon. This was too much even considering the situation. He had been hoping that someone from the remnants of Lelouch's force would come and kidnap Nunnally. He was expecting it from Jeremiah. He even made sure that Nunnally was left alone. Several soldiers moved towards Nunnally to take her away. What happened next froze everyone, and then forced them to action.

Nunnally saw the look on everyone's face after she spoke. Her next move shocked them all. It shocked her a bit as well. She lifted the control key to the Damocles's firing system and pressed the button. Two guards rushed at her hoping to stop her. Schniezel signaled for them to stop. He figured that it obviously didn't matter. Whoever was aiming the FLEIA towards them would be able to fire it.

"I believe that this is what they call a checkmate, brother," Nunnally says sarcastically.

For the about the thousandth time Schniezel considered the privileges of being a member of royalty. The biggest one is that no one questions your actions. No one thought to question Nunnally when she moved Cornelia to the homeland and brought Guilford. No one questioned her when she visited Lelouch. No one questioned when she requested that her meeting with Cornelia be unsupervised. No one questioned her desire to left alone in the garden. Schniezel and his people were too busy planning this day, the celebration of their victory, and dealing with officials from around the world. There was no one left to watch over Nunnally. It was too late now.

As the FLEIA missile approached them, the Damocles blows up. Schniezel saw no transport leaving so that means that whoever helped Nunnally also sacrificed themselves. Schniezel closed his eyes to accept his fate. Like everyone else he forgot about Nunnally. He never considered her to be anything more than a pawn. She just happened to be a pawn that made it across the board. That is his last thought as the FLEIA exploded overhead.

"Checkmate indeed."

* * *

Cornelia set the targeting system on the FLEIA. Lelouch's geassed slaves were setting the FLEIA that would destroy the Damocles. After Cornelia finished targeting the FLEIA, she signaled Nunnally. Along with Guilford, Cornelia watched as Nunnally told Schniezel to shut up. A part of her wanted to scold Nunnally for using that sort of language. There were a few anxious seconds, but Nunnally was able to fire the FLEIA successfully. Now came the moment of truth Cornelia closed her eyes and put her hand out for Guilford to take it.

"Guilford, my knight will you follow me in this last journey."

"It would be my honor."

Guilford took Cornelia by the shoulders and kissed her as she activated the FLEIA that would destroy the Damocles and kill them.

* * *

After Jeremiah stopped the truck that brought them out of the range of the FLEIA, he released Lelouch first. Sayoko released Kallen. They would leave the others for a few minutes. Lelouch ran to the driver's side of the truck into order to take it back into the city, but it was too late. Lelouch could see the FLEIA leave the Damocles. Seconds later the flying fortress exploded. Moments after that the new capital along with Nunnally and Schniezel disappeared as well.

Lelouch fell to his knees and began to cry. Kallen went over to console him, but noticed that Jeremiah had freed Suzaku who began to free the others. Kallen quickly went over to get a weapon. There was no doubt this time that Nunnally was dead. Lelouch would be out of it for at least a few minutes. As Ohgi and Chiba walked over towards Lelouch. Kallen loaded her gun.

"Don't take another step."

Ohgi looks at Kallen incredulous.

"Kallen. We need to finish this. It would have been better if he had stayed back there."

Kallen raised her rifle.

"I said stay back!"

Ohgi sighs, "I'm sorry Kallen but we have to do this."

Ohgi moved forward confidently because Tamaki had a rifle and was standing behind Kallen.

"Damn right, you're sorry. You sack of shit."

Kallen turned to face Tamaki who was now standing beside her pointing a rifle at Ohgi.

"Tamaki."

"Damn it Shinichiro. That guy deserves to die for all he has done."

"What has he done? Brought us freedom. Brought Britannia to its knees. That's something that no one else could do. Not Naoto. Not you. Not Tohdoh. Not Xingke. But that guy did it, in less than a year."

"Tamaki, he lied to us!"

"Of course he lied to us. He lied to the whole world about being Lelouch vi Britannia. That, that isn't him. He's Zero. That's who he really is. He's the guy who brought the world to its knees. Do you know why he did it?"

Nobody says a word.

"He did it for his little sister. That little girl who fucking sacrificed herself for all of us here. I know because I spoke with her when she came to visit. Zero's a better person than you'll ever be. He's a better Japanese than you'll ever be."

"Like hell he is. Tamaki, you and Kallen better move out of the way or we'll have to take you guys out."

"Chiba! You will stand down."

Everybody turned to face Tohdoh who had been talking with Suzaku. It seemed as if Suzaku told his old sensei about the Zero Requiem.

Kallen walked towards Lelouch.

"Lelouch, what do we do now?"

Lelouch stood up.

"I will make sure that Nunnally's sacrifice is not wasted. I will accomplish her dream."

**Five years later**

After the destruction of the Damocles and Neo-Pendragon along with the deaths of Empress Nunnally vi Britannia, Prime Minister Schniezel el Britannia, and Cornelia li Britannia as well as many leading nobles, the UFN supreme council asked Lelouch to return to his post as emperor of Britannia under certain conditions. Not that they could have stopped him but still it was the thought that counted.

Lelouch sighed as he looked out the window. Today he was making a speech to Britannia and the world. Over the course of the last five years Lelouch convinced the world that Euphie wasn't responsible for the massacre. Britannia had used a body double and killed her. Since he was Zero and the only person to survive the event, they had no choice but to believe him. He spent five years working with leaders from the UFN to make the world peaceful. Ohgi became prime minister of Japan after the war. However he refused to work with Britannia and chose to rearm Japan. Tired of war the Japanese people voted him out, and Tamaki the leader of the Zero party became the new prime minister. Now Ohgi and Villetta run a small bistro in Shinjuku.

Kallen came up behind him and kissed the back of his neck.

"Are you ready?"

Lelouch nodded. He looked over his speech one last time before going out to read it. He wondered what happened to CC. After his defeat, she disappeared. It was so uncharacteristic of her to leave him, but he supposed it was because his life was supposed to be over. After Nunnally's sacrifice, Kallen stayed by his side. Lelouch walked out to the podium. He spoke a few words before stepping up to the microphone.

"I love you, Nunnally."

* * *

The FLEIA was seconds from exploding overhead. Nunnally remembered her last meeting with one of the Black Knights, Shinichiro Tamaki. At first the Japanese man was resistant to Nunnally's attempts at talking. Despite this she kept trying, and he gave in to her charm and warm personality. For the week or so that they conversed Nunnally told him much about her life with Lelouch or Zero as he knew him. He told her about his life in Japan and then Area 11. Nunnally then asked him to take care of her big brother. That was the last she saw of him. Nunnally closed her eyes, but quickly opened them as the FLEIA exploded.

"I love you, big brother."

* * *

Author's note: Nunnallys does die. There is no body double. A more appropriate reaction for Nunnally would have been for her to go up to the podium, say checkmate, and press the button on the Damocles key. But I think that this way had it's desired effect which was for everyone to be looking at Nunnally in shock as she pressed the button.

Nunnally's plan to make the Damocles a symbol of hate wasn't any better than the Zero Requiem. This world has seen power hungry genocidal dictators and weapons of mass destruction, and war is still around. Although the threat of nuclear weapons does keep some things at a minimum.

During Nunnally's last meeting with Tamaki she didn't tell him her plan but rather Lelouch's so Tamaki knew about the Zero Requiem at the end. He figured out the part about Nunnally's sacrifice when she told him to take care of her big brother. Tamaki isn't stupid. He's just impulsive which can more or less describe most of the Code Geass characters. Like Kallen, he wanted to find a reason to believe in Zero/Lelouch. Tamaki's talks with Nunnally bascially broke him down muich in the same way that Nunnally's conversation with Kallen during her time as a prisoner. These conversations gave Kallen a whole new perspective of Lelouch which she held until he chose to betray the world. Even then a part of Kallen wanted to believe in Lelouch.

Someone stated that this was morbid, but I think that the world is in a better state than with Lelouch dead. Those that should be blamed, Charles and Schniezel, are blamed and the world moves on.

I also thought of another idea. Rather than attacking Pendragon, Schniezel just takes the Damocles up into orbit and fires away so Lelouch does not betray the UFN. However the world is under the constant threat of FLEIA. The idea would be Lelouch leading the rebels to take out Schniezel and the Damocles. It would be a short piece, maybe three to five chapters.


End file.
